19 comments/ 22414 views/ 15 favorites Milkweed and Gossamer By: patientlee Sincere thanks to Privates1stClass and MSTarot for mentoring me to write better story. All participants in sexual activities are 18 or older. ~~~~~ Milkweed and Gossamer: A First-Time Tale "Josh Gossamer. C'mon back." Josh strode toward the back of the shop, hitting his head on a glass hummingbird feeder hanging from the ceiling and nearly knocking it off its hook. He managed to grab it before it could fall or smash against another one, but when he looked up and saw that he was in the middle of a display of planters and feeders, he realized that he'd better duck. Josh glanced around to see if anyone had witnessed his near-disaster. There was no one in the aisle to see him, but when he turned toward the back of the store, he saw her. Her blonde braids caught him off guard. They trailed down the back of her red T-shirt like two arrows pointing to the perfect, denim-clad ass cheeks beneath. He stood to get a better look at her legs and hit his head a second time. When he recovered and stepped out of the forest of hanging glass, she was gone. Upon entering the office in the back of the store, Josh reached for Mr. Yaple's hand and shook it. He sat in the chair on the side of the desk opposite Scott's father. "Josh! It's good to see you back here. What's it been, five years?" "Four, Mr. Yaple. I haven't worked here since the summer after high school. I just graduated from Penn State last week." "Congrats. That's great! How are your parents?" "Good. Great. My dad just got a promotion a couple of weeks ago, and my mother is still volunteering at the library," Josh said. "That's great. So what's next for you?" "Grad school. I'm going to Temple in the fall for my master's in electrical engineering. I'll be here all summer, and I can work right up until I leave. I need the money, and it's better than being bored, I guess." "Sounds about right. A lot has changed since you last worked here. We're not just selling plants out of the greenhouses anymore. The retail store is twice the size. We have two guys that just sell pond equipment- liners, plants, pumps, fish, etc. The most exciting addition is the butterfly house though. That will be open from the end of June to the end of August. "Tell me. How much were we paying you the last time you worked here?" "Nine dollars an hour, sir." "We'll make that ten for the summer. How will that work out for you?" "Great! Really great." "Good. You can see my wife out front for your T-shirts. They're white for the gardeners this year. Gets dirty, but keeps you cooler. When can you start?" ~~~~~ Josh pulled his old, white pick-up truck into the gravel parking lot ten minutes early for his first shift. He shut the truck off, and in the silence, he could hear the water splashing over the rocks in the brook that ran along the back of the property. It was a familiar, comforting sound that he had missed during his summers in State College. "By the Brook Garden Center and Butterfly House," Josh read aloud from the new sign next to the parking lot. The Yaples had added the butterfly house, a party pavilion, and a new log cabin which housed the retail store. "Looks like business has been good." He hoped that it was the same crew hired for this summer as it was in the old days. Mr. Yaple had always hired Scott's friends to work in the greenhouses and the gardens for the summers. Josh had been out of touch with this group since the middle of his freshman year at Penn State. He had spent the last three summers working as a slightly-paid intern for an engineering firm near the university. It was good work and good for his career, but he missed working outside in the fresh air and sunshine with his friends. "Josh Gossamer!" he heard from the porch of the log cabin. "Scott! Good to see you!" They hugged and clapped each other on the back, bro-style. Josh had been friends with Scott Yaple since first grade when they joined Cub Scouts. They were opposites in many ways. Josh was dark-haired, tall and lanky. Scott was blond, average height and thick with well-built muscles. A natural athlete, Scott played football, soccer, basketball, and baseball all the way through school. Josh preferred nerdier pursuits, like chess and tinkering with computers. Scott had quit cub scouts in third grade; Josh was an Eagle Scout. "Christ, Josh. It's good to see you. It's been years!" Scott said. "I know. This my first summer at home since I left for college. Still playing video games?" "Nah. No time. Being an adult is time consuming," Scott said. "It's funny though. Those damn games were the only thing we had in common. You still playing?" "Nope," Josh said. "No time. Getting old sucks, huh?" They joined the rest of the guys from the summer crew in the break room, and Josh got reacquainted with his high school buddies over coffee. "I can't believe we've been out of high school for four years. Where the hell did the time go?" Josh asked. "I know, right?" Alex said. "I feel like we just graduated, and now I'm looking for a real job." "And you're getting married next summer," Scott reminded him. "Don't forget that." "Dude! Married?" Josh asked. "Anybody I know?" "Nah. She's from Syracuse. We're moving up there once I find a job." Of the five, Josh was the only one going on to grad school. Alex, Carlos, and Ethan were looking for full-time, year-round, grown-up jobs. Scott would work for his father at the garden center, and he was also engaged to a girl from high school. Ethan was the one to break that news to Josh. "He's marrying Lisa Fox. Do you believe that shit?" "Lisa? I can't believe it. She hated you all the way through school!" Josh said, his eyes wide with surprise. "I don't know how I convinced her to go out with me, but I did," Scott said, grinning from ear to ear. Josh smiled and said, "I guess we're all grown up, huh?" A wicked grin crossed Carlos's face, and he turned to Scott. "Speaking of 'all grown up,' where's Jaime?" Scott turned serious, and said, "You assholes better stay the fuck away from my little sister." "Oh, c'mon, man," Ethan said. "She got hot this year." "I mean it. Keep your eyes and hands off her," Scott growled, pointing his finger in the faces of his long-time friends. Carlos opened his mouth to protest again when they were interrupted by Mr. Yaple's booming voice. "Time for workin', boys!" ~~~~~ Josh's first assignment was moving plants from the greenhouses to the gardens and outdoor displays. Barring any late frost, it was finally warm enough for the plants to be out in the sunshine. It was easy, mindless work, and Josh liked exercising his muscles instead of his brain for a change. As the good ache settled into his shoulders from lifting pot after pot, he wiped the sweat from his brow, appreciating being outside. On his second day, he spotted the greenhouse down the hill and behind the log cabin. He walked down to the long building, and found that it was filled with nothing but dark-green plants with little yellow, orange, and red flowers. He didn't recognize the plants, so he didn't know where to put them. He stepped outside just as the sunshine broke through the clouds. He heard the crunch of feet on gravel to his right, and he looked up, shielding his eyes from the sun with his dirty hand. It was her, and she was as beautiful from the front as she was from the back.. Blonde French braids started at her high forehead and continued over her head and down her shoulders. Freckles smattered her ski-jump nose. Long eyelashes framed her hazel eyes, and rose-colored lips spread into a wide smile, revealing her straight, white teeth. A few stray wisps of almost-white hair framed her face like a halo. Josh stared until she spoke, jarring him from his stupor. "Hello?" she said, snapping her fingers in front of him. "Anybody home?" He shook off his daze, and blushed. "Oh. Hi." She wore a maroon T-shirt emblazoned with the store's logo with the words "Flight Specialist" on the pocket below the butterfly-shaped button. "You work here, right?" he asked. "Uh, yeah," she said, pointing to the lettering on her chest. Josh had planned to ask if she knew where the plants in the back greenhouse were supposed to go, but he was distracted by her shirt. Well, not exactly the shirt, but the delicious mounds under the shirt. "Hello?" she said again, ducking to meet his eyes. Josh shook his head harder, blushing an even deeper shade of red. "I'm sorry. I'm... I'm not... I'm Josh," he stammered. "You look lost, Josh. Do you need some directions?" she asked, speaking slowly, like she was talking to someone who didn't speak English. "Do you know where you're going?" "Yeah. No. I just don't know where to put the plants from that... uh... that. Damn. What the hell is that thing called?" "A greenhouse?" she asked, even slower than before. "Greenhouse. Yeah. I'm sorry. I'm sounding like a total idiot," Josh said. "You are... you're... beautiful." "Thanks," she said with raised eyebrows and a fake smile. "That's my greenhouse. You don't have to do anything with those." "Your greenhouse?" "Yeah. For my project. Stick with the greenhouses up top," she said. "I'll let you know when I'm ready for help with one. Probably won't be until next week though." She looked him up and down, as if assessing him for a handicap. "I gotta go," she said in a hurry. He stood there, feeling stupid and watching her ass as she walked up the hill toward the log cabin. It took him another moment to realize why she had run off. He was hard. Very visibly hard. ~~~~~ During the second week, Carlos and Josh strung the white lights over the party pavilion in preparation for the outdoor party season. "Yeah, this place is, like, number one for parties for little girls now. They all wear their fairy wings and come party with the butterflies," Carlos explained. "It's more popular than the bowling alley and the roller skating rink." "What are the lights for? They have these kids' parties at night?" Josh asked. "No. It's a whole separate crowd at night," Carlos explained. "The butterflies aren't out once it's dark, but the Yaples have done a good job of turning this into a place for all kinds of parties—wine tastings, pig roasts, weddings... You'll see." Josh was climbing up onto the step ladder when the blonde who had given him the hard-on the other day walked into the pavilion. He stumbled a bit when he realized it was her. "Who is that?" Josh asked in a low tone. "Hey, Milkweed," Carlos called. "Come over here. Josh wants to meet you." "No! Hey! You didn't have to call her over," Josh whispered as she got closer. "Josh, I guess you don't remember Scott's little sister, Jaime," Carlos said. "Jaime, this is Josh. He used to work here when you were still in a training bra." "Thanks, Carlos," she said dryly. "Thanks for pointing that out." "Jaime. Holy shit," Josh said. "You grew up." "Yeah. I did," she said. Josh could tell by the look on her face that she thought he was a few shovels short of a full wheelbarrow. "I'm sorry. I just... Wow," he said. "I'll take that as a compliment," she said. "Sorry, guys. I gotta go shop for a dress for my party next week." She turned and walked away, once again causing Josh's cock to stiffen a bit as he watched her ass moving away from him. "You heard the boss," Carlos said. "She's off limits." "Yeah," Josh said, shaking his head. "Off limits. "Hey," he added. "Why did you call her Milkweed?" "Everybody calls her that," Carlos said. "She's obsessed with saving the monarchs." "Saving the monarchs...You mean the butterflies? Aren't there, like, tons of them?" "Not as many as there used to be, I guess. That whole greenhouse in the back is milkweed she planted to give away." "Why would anyone want to plant weeds?" Josh said. "The monarchs need the milkweed. It's her graduation project. Just watch yourself. If she gets an opportunity, you'll get the whole lecture," Carlos said. "Twice if you're alone." "I'm not sure she'd want to be alone with me. I didn't make a very good first impression." "Well, it's probably better that way. Mr. Yaple would fire your ass if he found the two of you alone and your pants were sticking out like that. And Scott would kick your ass after Mr. Y fired it. Now c'mon. Back on the fuckin' ladder. We gotta finish this." ~~~~~ Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday, dear Milkweed. Happy birthday to you. Josh heard the off-key voices cutting through the twilight as he carried another cooler full of ice from the log cabin to the pavilion. It was a warm night for early June, but the guests had congregated around decorative fire pits, sipping cocktails and sodas. There were about a hundred people at By the Brook for Jaime's birthday party. Josh took advantage of the crowd to check her out without her knowing. She wore a short sundress the color of an almost-ripe cherry, with skinny straps that tied over her shoulders. Josh imagined slowly pulling the tiny strings of fabric out of their knots and allowing the dress to fall to the ground. "She could not possibly have a bra on," he thought to himself. He wondered what kind of panties she would be wearing. He decided that it would have to be a red thong under a dress like that. Her blonde hair was up in some fancy kind of twist, but those same wispy pieces fell around her face. Josh longed to smell her hair, to push those wisps out of her eyes. He hadn't seen her up close since the day he met her on the ladder, but he thought about her all the time. His dick had been swollen since he arrived to work at the party in his white dress-shirt and black dress-pants. He had done a good job of hiding his situation from the guys, but the vision of the boss's daughter wearing only a thong, standing with her dress pooled around her sandals aroused him to the point of needing some relief. He saw Ethan coming around the corner with garbage bags, and he said, "Hey. I'm heading to the bathroom. I'll be a minute." "Helluva time to take a dump, doncha think?" Ethan said. Josh ran the rest of the way to the log cabin without answering. There were Porta Potties near the pavilion, but he needed some privacy. By the time he reached the men's room in the back of the building, his crotch was aching. He left the lights off and slipped into the stall, hoping desperately that no one would interrupt. He unfastened his dress pants and pulled them down around his thighs. His cock was rock-hard and oozing pre-cum. He wrapped his fist around its base and jacked his hand back and forth, starting slowly but quickly gaining speed and intensity. He imagined himself holding her face in his fingertips, tracing his thumb through the dimple in her chin. The breeze in his vision moved those blonde wisps around her face. He tilted his head to the right to meet her lips. He could practically taste the birthday cake on her lips. Back and forth, faster and faster. The pressure in his balls built quickly, and he knew he'd come hard and fast. His mind's eye drifted down to Jaime's nearly-nude form. A slice of red satin barely covered her pussy. Her tits were perfect handfuls, and he imagined small, reddish nipples pushing out from their centers. His mouth watered at the prospect of putting one in his mouth. He stuck his tongue between his lips, imagining that he licked first and then sucked the nipple deep into his mouth. His hips began to buck, and he knew that he would come right away. He pressed his fingers into the sensitive spot under the head of his cock, and imagined it was Jaime's hand wrapped around his erection. His whole body went rigid, and he aimed his slit toward the toilet to avoid coming all over his clothes. He was almost successful. He remained standing in the stall, breathing heavily, and wishing Jaime was with him, bathing his cock with her tongue and cleaning up his mess. Once his heart rate returned to normal, he turned the bathroom light on and noticed a gob of cum on the front of his starched, white shirt which left a conspicuous wet spot. He wiped the cum off his shirt with a wet paper towel and washed his hands. He tucked his shirt in as he hurried back to the party pavilion, hoping to grab another peek at the gorgeous teen. He was too late. She was already gone. ~~~~~ The butterfly house opened for business in the last week of June bringing hoards of amateur gardeners, butterfly enthusiasts, and girls in fairy wings into the garden center. Jaime and her team of Flight Specialists gave tours to group after group of butterfly watchers, and every visitor left with a milkweed plant in a small, recycled-paper pot to plant at home. Josh spent much of his day trekking back and forth between the butterfly house and Jaime's greenhouse. Unfortunately for Josh, it didn't mean that he got to spend any time with her. Everybody at By the Brook was busy. After two weeks of almost constant crowds, the weather turned cool and rainy, and the staff finally caught a break in the busy routine. The rain let up right after lunch, and Josh saw Jaime alone in the butterfly house. He brought a load of milkweed plants to the door, and said, "Hey, Milkweed. Knock, knock." "Hey," Jaime said, putting down the hot glue gun she held and wiping her dirty hands on a towel. "I haven't had a chance to thank you for your help with the plants. I know it's a pain in the ass to have to keep trucking them up the hill." "No problem," he said. "My pleasure, I mean..." "And I'm sorry too," she added. "Sorry? About what?" "I wasn't exactly nice to you the first couple of times we met. I kinda thought you were..." She bit her lip, making Josh think she was even more adorable. "I thought you were slow. Like Forrest Gump slow." Josh laughed out loud. "No. Not really. I'm going to grad school to be an electrical engineer. I'm actually pretty smart, but I didn't exactly make the best first impression. You just surprised me is all. I wasn't expecting Scott's little sister to be so—" "Have you had a chance to see the butterflies yet? I know this is your first year here since we opened it," she said. "I can give you a private tour, if you have a couple of minutes." "Sure. That sounds great. If your dad yells at me for taking a break, I'll just blame you," he said with a smile. Rolling her eyes, she waved him through the outer door. "It's a double-door system so the butterflies don't get out." Josh stepped through the first door, and when Jaime was satisfied that there were no escapees, she let him through the second. The butterfly house was shrouded in heavy, black mesh which made it difficult to see from the outside in. Josh stepped into the enclosure and took a sharp breath. It was magical in there! There were butterflies everywhere—fluttering through the air, perching delicately on the leaves of the milkweed plants, congregating on nectar feeders. He stood for a moment with his mouth agape, awed by the sight of so much orange and black in the air. "Holy cow," he said. "This is fucking amazing." Jaime giggled. "It is, isn't it?" She wore her red, Flight-Specialist T-shirt with a matching red hairband that brought out the blonde in her braids. Her hazel eyes twinkled when she smiled. The summer sun had kissed her nose and cheeks with even more freckles than he had seen before. Seeing how clean and put-together she looked, Josh realized that he was a mess. His hair was plastered to his head, and his white shirt was wet and covered in mud. "I look like the Turtleman," he said. "Nah, you're OK. At least you're not tracking mud through the store. Then you get to deal with my mother's wrath." Milkweed and Gossamer The floor of the butterfly house was gravel with pathways of pavers decorated with flowers, hummingbirds, and butterflies leading to the stations on the tour.. There were concrete statues of gnomes and wizards tucked into corners and between displays. There were stations set up around the path. Each featured a poster describing a stage of development in the life cycle of the monarch. "We start here," Jamie said. She pointed to a map of Mexico and the United States. "Each March the monarchs leave the Oyamel Fir trees of Michoacan, Mexico where they spend the winter and begin their migration to the southern United States. This first generation of butterflies will lay their eggs on the leaves of the milkweed plants in the south. "This is the first reason that the milkweed is so important," she explained, lifting a leaf on the plant in front of her. "The monarchs will only deposit eggs on milkweed plants. See the egg here?" "You're very professional," Josh interrupted. "I know. Thank you," she said, brushing off his compliment. "It takes about three or four days before the eggs hatch, and tiny caterpillars crawl out." "How many eggs do they lay?" he asked. "A lot. I don't really know. I think a hundred, at least. Their lives aren't long, so they each have to lay enough to keep the next generation viable," she said. "The caterpillars spend about ten to fourteen days doing nothing but eating milkweed leaves. This is the other reason that the milkweed is so important. It's the only thing the caterpillars eat." She put her hand on Josh's elbow and led him to the glass aquarium tank at the next station. "When we find a caterpillar, we put it in this tank so it doesn't get stepped on. We give them plenty of leaves and let them go crazy." "Sounds like a boring diet to me," Josh joked. "Maybe they'd like a pizza or something. Here. I'll call Dominos." He reached for his phone. Jaime rolled her eyes. "Jeez, Milkweed. Every time I see you, you're rolling your eyes at me." "Good reason for that." She looked around to see if anyone was nearby. "At least you don't have a boner this time," she whispered. Josh's face turned the color of Jaime's shirt, but he grinned. "Trust me. It's a compliment. You're really cute," he said. "But you're too young for me. I don't want to end up in jail." She raised her eyebrows. "Well, Josh. I'm not sure what you could possibly mean," she said dramatically. "I am eighteen, after all, and I don't know what you'd be thinking of doing with me that would land you in jail." He took a step closer to her and lowered his voice. "You're eighteen?" "Weren't you at my birthday party? I mean, working at it anyway?" "Yeah, but I figured it was a Sweet Sixteen party," he said. "Nope. I'm eighteen. Legal and everything," she said with a smile. "Not that my father would let you date me or anything. How old are you?" "Twenty-two. Just like Scott." He struggled to keep his eyes on her face. Her T-shirt hugged her tits, and he could see that her nipples were hard even out of the corner of his eye. His cock was waking up again, so he smiled and turned around to look in the tank. "So, what's the problem with the milkweed, Milkweed?" he asked, changing the subject. "If it's a weed, why doesn't it grow like a...weed?" She smiled at his corny wordplay. "Well, yeah, except that scientists have been so successful in genetically engineering their plants, they have made them so that farmers can use herbicides on the weeds and not kill the crops. The milkweed all over the country is being snuffed out by weed killer." "Don't they know that?" Josh asked. "Sure they know. They don't care though. If you're a farmer, all you want to do is raise your crops and sell them. You can't think about butterflies and shit like that," she said. "I don't blame them. I'd do the same thing if I was growing crops." "You know," Josh said, "I saw something about this on some news show. I guess the pesticides are killing the honeybees, so the crops really need the butterflies for pollination. All this technology is creating the need for more technology." He shook his head in disbelief. "You're absolutely right. Butterflies are important. Since I can't change the farmers' actions, I'm doing what I can to save the monarchs. I'm growing and giving away milkweed for people to put in their gardens. If enough people grow milkweed, the farmers can kill their weeds, and the monarchs will still have their habitat. That's my theory anyway. "For my graduation project, I used half of what I earned here last year to buy materials. Dad and Scott helped me build the greenhouse, and Mom and I planted all those little plants." "Wow," Josh said. "I'm stunned. They're so beautiful. Not the weeds. The butterflies, I mean. I didn't realize they were in trouble." "Almost all of my first round of plants are gone. The second crop is almost ready to distribute. I've been making a list of the houses I've seen with butterfly bushes and nectar plants. I'm going to deliver the pots to those houses with a flier about the milkweed. "Maybe you'd like to come with me. I could use an extra set of hands," she said with a shrug. He paused and smiled. "Yeah. I'd like that." She smiled back and looked into the tank. "See this guy here, hanging in a 'J' shape from the lid of the tank?" she said, ducking down and pointing. "He's getting ready to go into his green, shiny chrysalis. It's like a non-fuzzy cocoon. He'll hang there like that on the lid for a while, and when we look again, all we'll see is his chrysalis and his molted skin on the floor of the tank." "Is that one? Over there in the corner?" he said. "Ooh. Good eye." She lifted the lid from the tank and removed the chrysalis. "We'll move him over there. C'mon." Josh followed her to a corkboard where she put a dab of hot glue on the chrysalis and stuck it to a pushpin. She stuck the pushpin to the corkboard with the others in different stages of development. "The glue doesn't hurt it?" he asked, ducking when a butterfly came close to brushing his face. "Not at all." "What are those gold spots?" he said. "I don't think anyone knows for sure. Might be for camouflage or something. They're pretty though, huh? Here. Look at this one. This one's about to come out." Josh could see the monarch's markings through the almost-transparent chrysalis. "Holy shit," he said, awed. "Stick around for a few minutes. Maybe we'll see it," she said. "Now for the fun part." She grabbed his hand, and pulled him to a low shelf with a bottle containing a clear liquid and long cotton swabs. She took one for herself and handed one to Josh, then she pulled him closer to one of the nectar feeders. "Hold it out, close to their feet." He placed one close to an orange and black cluster, but not close enough. Jaime grabbed his hand and guided it until the tip of the swab touched the butterfly's delicate feet. She held his hand even after the butterfly climbed onto the stick. "Oh my god, Milkweed. This is the coolest thing I've ever seen," he said. He felt the warmth of her hand on his. He looked at her smiling, hazel eyes and smiled back. "It's amazing." Jaime finally let go of his wrist, and picked up her own swab. When she had two monarchs on the tip, she held them up in front of her face. "Look. A monarch mustache." "You get more adorable every time I look at you," he said. "Hang on. Let me take a picture." He snapped the photo and said, "I'll use this for your contact in my phone. Give me your number." "Scott will be pissed off," she teased. "He'll tell my dad." "Let him," Josh said. "You'll need to call me to go with you to deliver the milkweed, right?" ~~~~~ The next morning, Josh arrived at work just in time for a meeting with the garden staff. Josh was grateful for the extra couple of minutes to finish his coffee in the air-conditioned break room. He was only grateful for a minute though. As soon as Carlos arrived, Scott stood up and began the meeting. "It has come to my parents' attention that one of you motherfuckers is sniffing around my sister," Scott said, placing his palms on the table. Josh dropped his head, knowing that he was blushing. All I did was talk to her in the Butterfly House. And I called her "adorable." Don't forget that. And I got her phone number. Carlos spoke up before Scott could continue the attack. "Seriously? You called a meeting for this? What's the matter with you?" Scott put his hands up in front of him to demand silence. "Look, my mother told me that one of the ladies in the store mentioned it to her yesterday. She didn't know who it was. She just said that it was one of the garden guys. "We told all of you to stay away from her. You're all way too old for her, and she's never really had a steady boyfriend. We'd like to see her...Um...Keep her...innocence. You are a horny bunch of assholes, and I don't want you anywhere near her. Especially you, Carlos. You've had sex with most of the women in the county." Carlos shrugged and smiled. "Fair enough, man. Hey. I can't help it if all your girlfriends like me better." Josh's thoughts raced. Did anyone see me in the Butterfly House? I was just delivering plants. How could somebody think I was putting the moves on her? Shit. I took that picture of her with the butterflies in front of her face. I can't believe this is happening. Scott said a few more things that Josh didn't hear before he dismissed the meeting with a wave of his hand. The guys went back to work in the greenhouse. "What the fuck?" Ethan said as he held the door to the greenhouse open. "She's eighteen. It's not like she's a child. Why are they so damn protective of her?" "She's friends with my sister," Alex said. "My sister said she's always got a boyfriend, but she hides it from them. I guess she sneaks out or lies to them." "But seriously, they have no idea?" Ethan said. "Look at her. She's gorgeous. How can they think for a minute that there aren't guys lined up to get with her?" Carlos looked around to make sure no one else was in the greenhouse. "Look at Scott's parents. How old do you think they are?" "I don't know," Ethan said. "What difference does it make?" "He told me once that his mother was nineteen when she had him. I think they are trying to keep her from making the same mistake her mother made. They want her to go to college before she gets knocked up," Carlos explained. "And don't forget Jake last year. When Scott caught them making out behind the pavilion. Jake got fired, and Jaime got put under surveillance." "I still think it's stupid," Alex said. Carlos smiled and pointed at Alex and Ethan. "Now we know it's not Josh. He never breaks the rules. So which one of you dickheads is it?" Josh mumbled an excuse, and left the greenhouse. He couldn't believe that someone would read so much into an innocent exchange. Well, there's also the fact that the first two times I met her, I had a hard-on, and she could tell. He shook his head and vowed to be more careful. ~~~~~ Jaime picked a rainy day in the middle of August to deliver the milkweed so that the garden center wouldn't be too busy. When Josh arrived in the break room, she was sitting there with red cups with the logo Eight O'Clock for both of them. "I didn't know how you take your coffee, so I left the cream and sugar on the side," she said, handing him the Styrofoam cup. "Thank you," he said. "You didn't have to do that. I take it black anyway." "Perfect then," she replied. "Can we take your truck?" "Sure. No problem." "Can I drive?" she asked. "I don't know. Can you? I mean, you won't crash it, right?" "Of course not!" she said. "Of course, we're going on dirt roads. That pretty, white truck of yours might need a bath when we're done." "I'll tell you what. If you get my truck dirty, I'll let you pay for the car wash, OK?" He smiled. "Let's get the plants loaded." The deliveries were uneventful, and riding in the truck gave Jaime and Josh an opportunity to get to know each other without Scott's supervision and the ladies reporting from the log cabin. "Do you have a boyfriend?" he asked. "Nope," she said as she turned the truck onto a dirt road, bouncing everything around in the truck, including her tits. "Why not?" he asked. "You're absolutely gorgeous, even without butterflies on your face." "You've met my parents and my brother, right? Scott's made it his personal mission to preserve my purity until my wedding night, I guess. "He's a hypocrite though. He fucks everything with a pussy," she added, rolling her eyes and shaking her head. Josh gasped when he heard the crude language coming out of her mouth. She threw her head back and laughed, causing her to hit a pothole in the road. "Oops! Sorry I'm putting you through a blender here." "Trust me, I don't mind," he said, watching the jiggle in the front of her shirt. Jaime brought the truck to a stop in the middle of the empty road and put it in park. "Are you checking me out, Josh?" she asked with a coy smile. Josh blushed for the thousandth time since he'd met her. "I guess maybe I am. I'll stop. I'm sorry." Jaime turned her body toward him and leaned forward a bit. "I don't really mind," she said in a husky voice. "I like you, Josh." He leaned a little closer to her, feeling the blood rushing between his legs. "I like you too, Milkweed." She reached for his hair, pulling a small fleck of a red flower from the side of his head. "Looks like I'm getting my milkweed all over you. It's on your shirt too." "Maybe I'll attract a butterfly," he said with a smile. She put her hands on his chest to brush the petals away, and he took a chance. He grabbed her elbows, leaned in, and kissed her. She squealed with surprise, but opened her mouth right away to accept his tongue. When he didn't offer it, she pushed hers against his lips, wiggling it into his mouth. Josh couldn't hold back. He plunged his tongue into Jaime's mouth and explored her teeth, tongue, and lips. His cock was throbbing as it strained against his jeans. He brought his hands to the sides of her face and pulled her closer. She moaned and arched her back, pressing her breasts against his chest. He brought a hand down to cup her tit, and he swirled his thumb over her nipple, feeling its hardness. He brought his other hand to the other breast, but before he could apply any friction to it, the driver of a little, white hybrid behind them stopped and honked. "Shit," Jaime said. She pulled herself together, and put the truck back in drive. "Maybe we can continue this later," Josh said weakly, trying to compose himself. "Yeah, later," she said, swallowing hard. She put her foot on the gas, and started in the direction of the next house on her list. Her nipples were still poking at the red fabric of her shirt when they got there. ~~~~~ He didn't have to wait long for "later" to arrive. The next morning, Jaime was sitting on a bench in the parking lot when he arrived. He waved out the window, hoping she was waiting for him. She had two red paper cups in her hands once again. "Hey!" she said when he approached. "I brought you coffee." "Again? Thanks," he said with a smile. "C'mon. Let's go drink it with the butterflies." She grabbed his free hand, and led him around the front of the log cabin. He looked over his shoulder to see if Scott was watching. Scott wasn't around, but he saw Alex and Ethan getting out of their cars. "What if Scott or your dad sees us?" he asked. "They're not here. They had to meet with some guy about something. I don't know. All I know is that I'm pretty glad Scott's not here breathing down my neck for a change." They arrived at the butterfly house and made small talk and drank coffee while Jaime checked for changes. Josh helped her check the milkweed plants for caterpillars that hatched during the night. She collected them and put them into the caterpillar cage. Jaime went through the cage to see if any of the more mature caterpillars had formed their chrysalides during the night. She found two new ones, and she moved them to the corkboard. "I'll have to check in the log cabin to see if they need their cage restocked," she said. "Why do they have a cage?" he asked. "You've seen the Nature Jars, right?" He nodded. "Once you buy a Nature Jar, you can bring it in and get a free caterpillar to raise in the jar. It's pretty cool. We try to give out the biggest, fattest ones, so they don't die. Usually they form the chrysalis in a couple of days, and about two weeks later, there's a butterfly in the jar, ready to be released back into nature." "That's cool," he said. "Yeah. I was giving out milkweed plants to go with them, but I'm all out now," she added. "Looks like we have two more butterflies that will emerge today, and three that made their way out between last night and this morning." Jaime moved the two folding chairs from the corner to the middle of the path. "C'mon. Sit. Enjoy nature with me." Something in the way she said it struck Josh as funny. He started to laugh, imagining the two of them sitting naked on cold chairs in the middle of the butterfly house. "What's so funny?" she asked. "Do I have something on my face or something?" She brushed her mouth without realizing what she was doing. "No. Nothing like that," he said, shaking his head and laughing. "The way you said 'nature,' reminded me of 'naked' or something. Can you imagine? Sitting out here naked?" Jaime's face was suddenly very serious. "I did that once." "Excuse me?" he said, surprised by her announcement. "You heard me. I sat out here naked once. The sun had just come up, and nobody was here yet. I just sat here with the nectar sticks, waiting for the butterflies to land on me," she said, her cheeks reddening. Josh took a minute to recover from this revelation. "You're not shitting me, are you? That's the hottest thing I've ever heard." Jaime glanced at his midsection, the bulge in his pants confirming it. She smiled and leaned forward, placing her hand on his fly. "Yep. You do think it's hot. Wanna try it with me sometime?" she asked. It was Josh's turn to blush. He couldn't tell if she was serious or not. "I'm not sure how we might pull that one off. I think Scott would cut my dick off if he saw us." "You're probably right, but—" "No probably about it. He'd freakin' kill me." He realized that she was serious, and blushed a deeper shade of red. She sighed. "Look, Josh. I like you. I know I'm too young for you, and I know that Scott's a pain in the ass, but I like you. I'd like to go out with you sometime." Josh raised his eyebrows. "Really? Why?" "What do you mean 'why'? You're adorable, and you've helped me all summer with the milkweed. When we kissed in the truck...Didn't you feel something for me?" Her face was suddenly serious, pleading with Josh. "Well, yeah, but..." "But what? You're four years older than I am. I'm eighteen. I'll talk to my brother. I'll tell him that you're not pushing me into anything. I'll tell him—" "Jaime, I'm leaving in August." Josh put his hands on Jaime's shoulders. "I'm starting grad school. Anything we might have is only temporary. I don't think it's a good id—" Jaime cut him off by pressing her lips against his. As her tongue poked into his mouth, he felt his hands moving from her shoulders to the sides of her head, her silken braids hanging over his hands. The kiss deepened, and his cock swelled even more than before. He was falling hard for her, and he wasn't sure he could stop it. They kissed until Ethan and Carlos interrupted them with obnoxious catcalls and whistles. They released each other with a start, both blushing madly. Milkweed and Gossamer "Hey, Ethan!" Carlos said. "Did you get a picture of that? We have to send that one to Scott!" "Don't you fuckin' dare, you assholes!" Jaime yelled. Lowering her voice, she said, "Holy shit. You are a good kisser." Josh tried to adjust his erection before the guys got close enough to the butterfly house mesh to see and make fun. "Yeah. You too," he mumbled. Josh exited the double-doors, and cursed at the guys. "Assholes. Both of you." He stormed back in the direction of the log cabin, and locked himself in a bathroom stall. ~~~~~ Fortunately, the assholes didn't deliver on their promise, but they did share the photo with Alex. For about a week, all three of them did their best to interfere with any attempt Josh and Jaime made to talk to each other. Josh went near the Butterfly House, so Carlos handed him a flat of white coneflowers to take to the log cabin. Jaime went into the gardens in the back, so Alex called her up to the Butterfly House to have her answer a question. Ethan popped up every time they looked at each other from across the property. Josh figured that Scott had deputized the three of them to keep tabs on Jaime. Either that or they were just fucking with him. He assumed that they were working together, but he couldn't be sure. Jaime had just finished a tour, when her phone buzzed. What is up with these three? I can't get near you!! She replied, looking over her shoulder, expecting one of the goons to know he was texting her. I know. It's stupid. She thought for a moment. Meet me in the Fairy Garden at 8:30. The store closed at eight, so everyone would be gone by then. ~~~~~ Josh was nervous when he parked his truck on the back side of the log cabin. He had seen Jaime's red Prius parked there, but he hoped that once it was dark, both cars would be hidden. He trotted to the Fairy Garden, trying to avoid being seen by anyone who might be along the road. "Oh, wow," he said when he arrived at the wrought iron gate at the entrance to the garden. "Hey, over here," Jaime said from the far corner of the garden. Josh walked straight to her and kissed her. Hard and for a long time. When they finally came up for air, Jaime said, "I brought some sandwiches. There's a table over here." While she set up the food and sodas, Josh looked around. "Have you been in here before?" she asked. "No. I knew there was a Fairy Garden, but I had no idea what that was." There were plants and little solar-powered decorative lights everywhere. Some were staked into the ground or into flower pots. Others were hanging from the pergola that covered the garden. The air was thick with the smell of flowers. Even after working in the garden for weeks, he still couldn't identify the flowers by sight, never mind smell. "What are the flowers growing up there?" He pointed to the lush vines hanging from the pergola, draping into the garden from above. "Roses and Boston ivy. It's the roses you smell though." She led him to the corner at the back of the garden, using the flashlight on her phone to help them see. "This is why we call it the Fairy Garden," she said as she pulled back plants to reveal a miniature world hiding under the foliage. There were tiny houses with horse-drawn carriages, sheets hanging on itty-bitty clotheslines, and bird feeders smaller than thimbles. In another section there was a Norman-Rockwell-style town common. There was a church with a steeple that reached into the greenery above it, tiny shops, and a gazebo. "Is that a school bus?" he asked, pointing to a vehicle smaller than a Matchbox car. "Yeah. Can you see the little flag pole?" "Yes. This is spectacular. What else is there?" She led him to a small castle, complete with water running in the moat, and a mist-breathing dragon. An army of trolls stood in formation along the drawbridge. "So where are the fairies?" he asked. "Look around. See the little, green flashes of light?" "You mean the fireflies?" "C'mon," she said, smacking him on the arm. "Use your imagination! They're fairies!" "You're awfully cute when you get all indignant," he said. He stood behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. He leaned in and kissed her on the neck. "Mmm," she moaned. "That feels nice." She turned around in his arms, and melted into his body. Her hands moved to his ass, and he moaned when she slid them into his back pockets. They kissed again. This time Josh's hands wandered to the front of Jaime's maroon shirt. He squeezed her tits gently, noting how they fit so neatly in his hands. Her tongue probed his mouth as the kiss lingered, and she moaned when his fingertips ran over her nipples. Josh finally broke the kiss when his stomach growled. He kissed her on the nose and said, "Did you say you brought sandwiches?" ~~~~~ When the food was gone, Jaime showed him the fish pond at the other end of the garden. They sat on a wooden bench, watching the enormous red and white Koi swim through the water. The incandescent lights at the bottom of the man-made pond cast a soft glow on the corner of the garden. "This is my favorite spot in the world," Jaime said. "I come in here at night all the time." "It's very romantic," Josh said with a soft smile on his lips. "Romantic? That's the first time I've heard a guy use that word!" "What? It is!" he said. "The lights, the sound of the water, the smell of the roses, the girl next to me..." They kissed again. This time Josh slid his hands under the hem of her shirt. She giggled when his fingertips trailed over her belly. "I'm sorry," he said, pulling his hands out. "I'll stop." "No!" she said with a force that let Josh know that she wanted him to touch her. "You're just tickling my tummy." "Oh," he said. "So you'd rather I move my hands up a little higher? Is that what you're telling me?" He wagged his fingers again, bringing another fit of giggles. She grabbed his wrists and pushed his hands right up to the lace cups of her bra. "No," she said, holding her hands over his, as if she was cupping her own breasts. "I'm telling you that I'm terribly ticklish, so don't touch me there." "But here's OK?" he said, rubbing her nipples with his thumbs. "Yes. Very good." She relaxed and let her hands fall to Josh's thighs. Her hand trailed closer to his fly, and he shuddered. "You're making me hard, Milkweed," he said in a raspy voice. "I'm just warning you." "Right here? Is this where you're hard?" She placed her hand over his bulge and gave it a squeeze through the denim. "Oh, yeah...Right there." Josh's brain relinquished control and let his cock do the thinking. He moved his hands up higher on her chest, lifting her shirt and revealing the red lace on the cups of Jaime's bra. He tipped his head to get a better look at her tits, and then he slid his hands back down, inside the bra this time. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, the moan in her exhale giving him permission to proceed. "Can I take your shirt off?" he whispered. "Uh-huh." She nodded and moved her arms to make it easier to remove. Her braid got caught on the butterfly-shaped button on the pocket of the shirt, causing her to yelp at the tug. "Shh!" Josh warned, smiling at her while he fought to untangle her hair. "Ow," she said, quieter this time. "It's a good thing our house is so far down the road. All we'd need is for Scott to hear me hollering in pain." While Josh wrestled with the shirt, Jaime reached behind her back and unhooked her bra. He finally got the shirt free, and he caught the first glimpse of her bare breasts. His mouth dropped open, stunned to see her perfect, little tits, and her nipples standing straight out of their centers. In the dim light of the fish pond, he couldn't determine their color, but he dropped his mouth and took them in his mouth, first the left then the right. "Oh my god, Josh. That feels so good," she said in a shaky voice. He sucked her nipples and wondered if she had ever sucked a cock. He knew she was a virgin—Scott had been quite clear on that point—but lots of high school girls gave blowjobs. Blowjobs weren't sex, after all. Josh had gotten a few at high school and college parties from girls that were desperate for attention, but it had been a long time since he had a pair of lips wrapped around his cock. "Oh, please," he thought to himself. "Please let me get lucky." He was lucky. Jaime whispered, "Pull your pants down so I can see you." Josh wasn't expecting her to be quite so bold, but he stood up and pulled his jeans and his tighty-whiteys down to his knees. Jaime looked up at him from the bench and licked her lips. Josh smiled at the hungry look in her eyes. She wrapped her hand around his shaft and her eyes widened. "You're so big and hard," she said. She rubbed her hand back and forth, getting his pre-cum all over her palm. She stuck her thumb onto the head and milked some of the slippery fluid into her hand. She licked her lips again as she leaned closer to Josh's groin. When her mouth reached the tip of his dick, she stuck out her tongue for a taste. "Mmm..." she moaned as his pre-cum coated her lips and tongue. She opened her mouth and smiled as his cock slid across her rough taste buds toward the back of her mouth. "Ahh..." The heat from her mouth engulfed Josh's cock, and he felt a surge of pleasure through his midsection. "Oh, Milkweed. This isn't gonna take long." She pulled her mouth off his cock and looked up at him, as serious look on her face. "Don't come in my mouth, OK? I'm not ready for that." "I'll let you know when I'm close, OK?" She nodded and took him back into her mouth, her hazel eyes still locked on his. He was right. About two minutes later he said, "I'm gonna come. Watch out." He grabbed his cock in his hand and stepped back to pull it out of her mouth as it started to spasm. He turned away from her to avoid coming on her clothes and jerked his cock as it started to shoot. He grunted like a caveman as he came. The first spurts flew into the fish pond. The rest landed on the gravel and rocks surrounding the pond. "Oh, my!" Jaime said. "That was wild." "You've got some skill with that tongue, that's for sure." He was panting while he spoke. Jaime stood up and wrapped her arms around his waist. She squeezed his naked buttocks in her hands and tilted her head up to kiss his lips. Still fairly erect, his cock poked into her stomach. "Still excited, huh?" she asked. "Yeah. I guess you're having that effect on me. Holy shit, was that an incredible blowjob," he said. She paused for a moment, biting her lip nervously. "Do you have a condom?" she asked. Josh started to cough and laugh at the same time, completely caught off guard. When he recovered, he said, "No. I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking that we'd need one." Jaime shook her head. "It's not that I don't trust you or anything," she said. "I just can't get pregnant. I'm going to school—" He held his hands up defensively. "No, no, no. That's not what I meant. I just meant that I didn't think we'd be doing...it...tonight." Josh could read the lust in her eyes as she mulled it over. "Well," she said, "maybe we can—" "No. We can't," he said, pulling up his pants as he spoke. "This is a big deal and a big risk. I'm sorry. God damn." Jaime's phone beeped a text alert. She walked to the table to check the message. "Shit," she said. "It's Scott. My dad's looking for me." "What time is it?" Josh asked. "Almost ten." She placed her phone in her bag. "I gotta go." "OK," Josh said. "I think I'm gonna go home and take a cold shower." She smiled. "Do you think that will help?" Jaime walked back to the bench to grab her clothes. When she turned around, she tripped over a rock on the edge of the fish pond. Josh was looking at his phone, so he was surprised when he heard the loud splash. He looked up to see Jaime sitting in the shallow pond, still topless and now dripping wet. He laughed when he saw a bright red fish swim across the skin on her belly. "Yeah. Funny," she said wryly. "How am I going to explain this one to my parents?" Josh reached down to help her out of the pond. "Just tell them you took a cold shower," he said with a grin. "Did it help?" ~~~~~ Josh and Jaime sat at a picnic table in the party pavilion. It was the last week in August, and the sun was already making its descent behind the mountain on the other side of the brook. The crickets and katydids chirped their evening cadence, and it was starting to get cooler. "I can't believe your parents are letting you go away," he said. "I mean, it's still pretty busy here. Won't they need you to work?" "My aunt and uncle are taking me and my cousin for our graduation presents. You only graduate from high school once, right? My parents couldn't exactly say no to that." "A week in the Bahamas, huh? That's some graduation present. I didn't even get anything that good when I graduated from college," he said. "Josh Gossamer, are you jealous?" "Yeah, I guess maybe I am. I mean, we're just starting to get close, and now you're going away for a week. You can't blame me for being jealous of your cousin," he said. Jaime tipped her head and raised her eyebrows. "You're jealous of Rachel? That's so sweet! I thought you were jealous that I got to go to the Bahamas." "Not at all," he said. "I wouldn't begrudge you the trip. I'm just disappointed that you're leaving. I'll miss you." He reached across the table and took her hand. "I'll miss you too," she said. "C'mon. Let's go sit in the Fairy Garden for a bit." They held hands on the way, figuring that the falling darkness would provide privacy from prying eyes. Scott's footsteps crunching in the gravel startled both of them too late. "What the fuck, Gossamer!" "Scott, it's not what it looks like," Josh said, dropping her hand, and holding his hands up in front of him. "It looks like you're holding hands with my sister, you asshole! Were you the one that gave her the fucking hickey on her neck?" Josh looked at Jaime and saw the red smear disappearing blow the crew neck of her T-shirt. "Scott..." Jaime said. "No. Jaime, go home. Now," Scott snarled. "No, Scott. I'm eighteen years old. You can't—" "I can't? Mom and dad told me to keep you out of trouble. My god. Control yourself, would you?" "Control myself? We're holding hands! It's not like I'm giving him a blowjob!" she said. "Scott..." Josh said. "Get the fuck out of here, Gossamer. Stay away from her. Christ, I figured it was Carlos! I thought you were a nicer guy than him." "Jeez, Scott. I am. I'm a nice guy. I like Jaime. I'm just trying to get to know her," Josh said, his voice rising in pitch. "She's too young for you, asshole. What are you gonna do? Fuck around with her for a little while, then run off to grad school? What if you get her pregnant?" Scott stepped within inches of Josh. Josh held his hands up in defense. "Scott, I'm not—" "Save it, Gossamer. Jaime, let's go. Now." Scott grabbed Jaime by the elbow and turned to escort her away. Josh was usually mild-mannered, almost to the point of passivity, but Scott's words and the way he handled Jaime so roughly made something inside of him snap. He lunged for Scott, grabbed his arm, and turned him around. Scott responded by dropping Jaime's arm and giving Josh a quick jab to the nose. As the blood from his nose stained his shirt red, Josh's head got cloudy and his vision doubled in rage. He charged at Scott, landing two ineffective punches to his upper body. Scott jumped back and laughed at Josh's weak attempt to fight for Jaime. "You always were a weakling," Scott sneered. Josh heard voices approaching, and he hoped someone would put a stop to this nonsense. Alex and Carlos came around the butterfly house just in time to hear Scott turn his anger on Jaime. "And you, little slut. You can't keep your fuckin' clothes on!" Josh saw red again. This time he managed to connect one hard blow to Scott's eye before Carlos and Alex caught Josh and held him by the arms. "What the fuck is going on here?" Carlos yelled. "This little fucker has been trying to get into my sister's pants all summer. I'm stopping him." Carlos took charge of the situation. "Josh, you get the hell out of here. Scott, take Jaime home. Now!" he shouted when nobody moved. Carlos walked Scott and Jaime down the path in the direction of their house and tried to find out what had started the fight. After about four steps, Jaime stopped and turned toward Josh. Just before Scott grabbed her arm again to haul her home, she said, "I'm sorry. This is stupid. I'll call you when I get back." She turned and started to walk, pulling as far away from Scott as possible. "I'M NOT HAVING SEX WITH YOUR SISTER!" Josh yelled after them. He couldn't tell whether or not Scott could hear him over the angry sound of the gravel beneath their stomping feet. "C'mon, man," Alex said. "Let's get out of here." ~~~~~ The day after Jaime left, Josh was setting out the first of the end-of-summer mums when Mr. Yaple called to him from the log cabin. He felt a sick feeling in his stomach. With his head hanging, Josh trudged through the gravel to the cabin. Jaime's mother was working the cash register. She gave him a tight-lipped glare as she pointed to the office in the rear of the store. He straightened up, trying to pull himself together, right into the cluster of hanging glass planters. This time he knocked the damned hummingbird feeder to the ground. It smashed to the concrete floor, right in front of his feet, scattering shards of dark-red glass in all directions. His white socks and shoelaces were flecked with red glass, and he panicked. Mrs. Yaple ran over with a broom. Josh tried to take it from her to clean up his mess, but she pushed him out of the way. "Go talk to my husband, and then get the hell out of here," she said, her eyebrows furrowed and her mouth contorted into an ugly snarl. "You've done enough damage here. We treated you like family, and this is how you thank us?" With his head spinning and his stomach churning, Josh walked the rest of the way to Mr. Yaple's office. "Don't bother sitting down, Gossamer. You're fired, plain and simple. Nobody starts a fight at my store and gets away with it. We gave you a good opportunity for the summer and asked only one thing of you—that you stay away from our daughter. She finally got herself on track, and we didn't need you fucking around with her." "But, sir. I didn't—" "I don't want to hear it. Jaime had trouble with boys in high school. We got her to graduation, now she's going to community college. The last thing she needs is some horny guy her brother's age—" "But, we didn't—" "Look. You're leaving soon. What if you got her pregnant? Then what would you do?" He paused, waiting for Josh to answer. "We didn't do any—" "I'll tell you what you'd do. You'd leave her here and take off for the rest of your life. "All I wanted as a father was for my little girl to stay a virgin until her wedding night. I just don't want to see her forced into marriage because she got knocked up like her mother did. And now... Now... She's having...sex..." Mr. Yaple broke down, crying into a tissue. "But I didn't... I DIDN'T FUCK YOUR DAUGHTER!" Josh had his own breakdown. "Sure, I kissed her a few times, and maybe I touched her a little bit, but THAT'S IT! Mr. Yaple became calm all of a sudden. Josh's eyes widened in fear. When Mr. Yaple finally spoke, his voice was an angry whisper. "If that's it, why the hell do I have security video of my daughter, my little girl, topless and sucking your goddam cock?" Milkweed and Gossamer Josh felt like the floor gave way under his feet. He stumbled, before turning and bolting out of the office. He could hear Mrs. Yaple yelling to him, "Don't bother filing for unemployment either. You started a fight with my son. I'll make sure you don't see a cent. We'll be taking the money for the hummingbird feeder out of your last paycheck too, Gossamer." He ran to the parking lot and jumped into his truck. It was no longer white, but a dusty brown from the dirt beneath the gravel. "The truck is as nasty as I feel," he thought to himself. The cooler weather had allowed some of the trees to begin changing to fall colors, and several bright-red leaves from the big oak next to the parking lot were stuck in his windshield wiper blades. He ignored them in his rush to get away. He tore out of the parking lot, kicking up a giant cloud of dust. He forced himself not to look back. ~~~~~ Two days before he left for Temple, Josh sat at the counter at Tiny's Diner, drinking coffee and reading the newspaper. His phone rang. "Jaime?" he asked, answering the phone. "Yeah. Josh, I only have a minute, but we're releasing the butterflies tomorrow," Jaime said. "There will be a big party in the pavilion, but I have to see you one more time before you go." "Releasing the butterflies?" he asked. "Yeah. We take the mesh off the butterfly house and let them go. They have to fly to Mexico, you know. They'd die if they stayed all winter," she said. "Afterward there's a big party. My whole entire family, employees, customers...Even the mayor will be there. It's a big deal. I'll leave the party once everybody's had a few drinks. No one will notice." "Uh...OK," he said. "But your parents don't want me anywhere near you." "They'll be too busy with the party. Meet me in my greenhouse at five-thirty. The release is at two. The party starts at four. By five-thirty I'll be ready to get away. Meet me, OK?" "OK. But Jaime—" It was too late. She was already gone. The way he saw it, he could meet her and risk pissing off her parents, or he could stand her up. He was leaving for school in a couple of days. What did he care if her parents were pissed? But Milkweed? He couldn't make her mad. ~~~~~ He parked his truck at the Mini Mart down the main road from By the Brook. It was just a regular white pick-up truck, so he figured it would hide well in plain sight. He walked the two miles to the garden center, and snuck around the back of the main building. There was nobody around, but he could hear music and voices drifting over from the pavilion. The door to Milkweed's greenhouse was slightly ajar, so he pushed the door and went in. He took out his phone, and started to text her, but before he could hit send, she was there. With the light coming through the greenhouse door, he could only see her profile, but there was no mistaking those braids. When she stepped closer, he saw that she was wearing the same red dress that she had worn to her birthday party at the beginning of the summer. The same dress that he had imagined taking off her so many times. She walked straight to Josh and put her arms around his waist. Up close he could see that her hair was even lighter than it was before her trip. New constellations of freckles had erupted across her nose and cheeks. Her time in the sun had made her even more beautiful. "Hey, Milkweed. I missed you." Josh dipped his head to hers and inhaled the faint aroma of her shampoo. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her long enough and hard enough to make up for the weeks since he had seen her last. "Mmm...I missed you too," she said, mumbling into his mouth as he kissed her. Her hands dropped to his ass, and she cupped his cheeks. His cock began to swell at her touch. "I feel someone waking up there," she said in a sing-song voice. "Yeah, Milkweed. You have that effect on me, that's for sure." He ran his hands up the soft skin on her arms, and brought them to rest on her shoulders. His fingers twitched as he fought the urge to pull the ties holding her dress up. He managed to keep his composure for twenty-five seconds before he held the end of the string between his thumb and forefinger and started to pull lazily, as if she wouldn't notice. As the bow untied and the ties flopped over her shoulder, Jaime smiled. "Are you undressing me, Josh?" "I was trying not to, but my fingers seem to have a mind of their own." He leaned to her ear and whispered, "I think they want to see what's under this red dress of yours." "Well, I'm not sure that your fingers have eyeballs, but go ahead. Untie the other one." That brought him to full erection, and before she could change her mind, he pulled the other string loose. His hands seemed to operate under their own power, and they slid down her arms and to her waist, where he grabbed her sundress, and pulled gently, stretching the elastic of the clingy top, slowly revealing her small tits. His image of her at her birthday party was correct. She wore no bra under the dress. His eyes fixed on her tits, taking in their firm roundness and her small, wine-colored nipples. They were a darker red than he had imagined. He longed to touch them, but not as much as he longed to see the dress around her feet. As he pulled the dress over her waist, the stretchy top pulled at the band of her panties, threatening to take them down too. "Oh, Milkweed. You are gorgeous." He kept pulling the dress over her hips, the elastic top stretching over the swell of her ass. He was right again. It was a red thong under her dress, but it wasn't what he had pictured on the night of her birthday. He was tall enough to see over her shoulder and down to her backside. The band in back was a two inch thickness of crimson lace framing her flawless buttocks. Once again, he fought to keep his hands focused on undressing her. He pulled one last time, and the dress slid over thighs, down below her knees, and into a pile on the floor, encircling her feet, just like the scarlet puddle from Josh's fantasy. A pang of desire rippled through Josh's body, and he sucked in a shaky breath. "Oh my god," he whispered. "You are...perfect." He placed his palms against her nipples, feeling the erect nubs against his skin. He closed his hands over her breasts and gave them a squeeze. He smiled down at her while he kneaded her breasts. She gave a breathy moan right into his open mouth. While Josh played with Jaime's tits, Jaime's hands fell to the front of his pants. She struggled with the button on his jeans for a moment before getting them open and pushing jeans and white briefs to his ankles in one tug. When his cock sprang out of his boxers, Jaime wrapped her hand around it and gave it a playful squeeze. "See, Josh? You always have a boner when I'm around." "What can I say? You're just that arousing, Milkweed." Josh pulled away to pull his white polo shirt over his head and toss it to the side. Jaime stepped back to look at his naked body, and she smiled. "You still have a farmer's tan," she said. "Nah. That's a gardener's tan," he said, returning her smile. Jaime hooked her thumbs into the lace waistband of her panties, and started to push them down. "No," Josh said. "I've been waiting a long time to see what you wore under that little, red dress. Leave them on for a bit." Jaime turned so that Josh's erection was poking into her back. He laughed as a dab of pre-cum stretched from his cock to her skin. "Yeah. I'll say I'm turned on," he said. He wrapped his left arm around her chest, and cupped her breast with his hand. His right hand started with her nipple and slid down her flat stomach, toward the red fabric below. She squirmed when the callouses on his palm tickled her belly. His fingers reached the lace at the top of her pubic mound, and he slipped them under the delicate fabric. Her body was tense with anticipation. "Mmm..." he whispered into her ear. "You're so smooth." He moved his lips to the soft spot on her neck, right beneath her ear. He kissed and then licked and then nibbled there, and then he moved to hear ear lobe. He could see the goose bumps on her skin as his tongue flicked against her flesh. "Oh my god. You're tickling me, but don't you dare stop." He continued to tease her ear and her neck as his hand slipped into the cleft between her legs, disappearing under the crimson lace. He probed her with his fingers, and quickly found her wetness, practically dripping from between her lips. He dipped his finger into her wet hole, trying to be gentle. "Is this OK?" he asked. "Mmm..." Jaime moaned. Josh fingered her for a moment longer, and then he ran his finger up higher, exploring and looking for her clitoris. When he found it, she gasped out loud. "Go easy." "Sorry," he said, adjusting his fingers. "Like this?" He flicked the spot back and forth with the tip of his finger. "No. Just stop moving for a minute," she said. When he followed her instructions, she said, "Now gently. Start to rub in a circle. Slowly...There you go." He looked down the front of her body at his hand in her panties, and he sighed. She melted into him, and he picked up the pace of his fingers. "Oh, Josh. You're really good at this," she said. "Just keep doing that. Touch me just like that." Josh had put his hand into a girl's panties before, but it was nothing like this. Jaime was moaning and coaching him, and her pussy got wetter and wetter as he circled her clit. "A little harder," Jaime said. "A little faster." As he did as he was told, her moaning became louder and her movements became jerky. "Oh, Josh. I'm getting so close. Don't stop. I'm getting close. Oh my god. I'm gonna come." Jaime's body went rigid as she came, and her mouth was frozen in a silent scream. Her hands gripped his arms, pinching hard enough to cause Josh pain that further fueled his desire. "Oh, Milkweed. I'm gonna explode. I need to fuck you." Jaime didn't scream, but she released a loud, harsh moan that Josh was sure could be heard from a mile away. Her orgasm lingered, and Josh continued to rub her clit, afraid to let go. When she finally relaxed into his arms, she told him that she needed a break. "Too much, but holy shit. That was amazing." She was breathing hard and fast, like she had just run too fast for too long. She regained her footing, and she turned to face Josh. She wrapped her arms around him and kissed him deeply. He rubbed her back, and asked her, "Did you like that?" "Oh my god. That was awesome," she answered, still out of breath. She took his hand, and led him to the back corner of the greenhouse where she kept a large, maroon and white plaid blanket. She spread it out on the dirt floor and got to her knees. "Ooh. The ground is hard," she said. "You don't have to—" "Just for a minute. I want to suck it before we...you know..." "Well, I can't argue with that, can I?" Josh said with a laugh. He stepped closer to Jaime's open mouth, and inhaled a loud breath as his cock slid over her warm tongue. Jaime didn't waste time teasing this time. She started sucking while licking the underside of his shaft from top to bottom. He put his hands on her head and fingered her silky braids. "You know, Milkweed? I've never seen you with your hair down." He slid his hands to the bottom of her braids and grabbed the elastics holding the twisted hair together. He pulled them out and let them fall to the blanket. He poked his fingers into the braids and ran them downward, untwisting until her long, blonde hair rested on her shoulders, waves from the plaits making it full and sexy. Josh groaned, partly from the tongue lashing Jaime was giving his hard-on, and partly from the sight of Milkweed with her hair down. She looked up and smiled as she sucked on the head of his cock. "You are so fucking sexy," he said. He put his hands into her hair, gripping it tightly. He pulled her head backwards and watched as his cock slipped from between her lips. "I want to be inside you." "Mmm...Do you have a condom this time?" she asked. He nodded as he tugged her hair again, this time leading her to her feet. He finally released her to get the condom from his pants. He struggled to open the package, but when he did, Jaime grabbed the condom and put it over his cock. "Do you know what you're doing?" he asked. "They taught us in health class," she explained with a wink. When it was in place, she said, "See?" She stepped closer and put kisses on Josh's chest and stomach. "Come over here," she said, leading him to one of the long, wooden counters that had held her milkweed plants. "The ground's too hard to lie down." She put her forearms on the counter and bent forward. "You want me to...to have sex with you...like this? From the back?" he stammered. "Why not?" she said, looking at him over her shoulder and giving her ass a wiggle. "OK," he said. "I hope you're wet enough." She laughed. "Gossamer, I'm soaking wet. And the condom is lubricated." "I just don't want to hurt you," he said. He put one hand on Milkweed's back and the other on his cock to guide it. He lined up against her pussy. "There?" "Yeah. Right there. Just go easy," Jaime said, arching her back and sticking out her ass. He rubbed her back as he leaned in with his hips. He felt her tighten up as the tip of his cock penetrated her, and he slowed his motion to allow her to get comfortable. His hand slid to her buttocks where he stroked her soft flesh. He pushed a little harder, watching his cock disappear into her body. "Are you OK?" he asked when he was halfway in. He expected to meet some resistance when he tried to penetrate her hymen. "Josh, I'm great. Keep going." He sunk another inch into her before Jaime braced herself against the counter and pushed back against him. Josh groaned as her pussy engulfed the rest of his cock all in one motion. "Oh my god. You are so warm," he said in a shaky voice. "Go ahead, Josh. You can fuck me." "Are you sure?" he asked, knowing that he couldn't stop if he tried. Jaime answered by pulling herself forward and slamming herself back, impaling herself hard on his cock. Josh put his hands on her hips, and, without another word, thrust his cock into her over and over. Jaime moaned, her tiny tits bouncing back and forth under her. Josh ran his hands up to cup them, and he rolled her nipples in his fingers to make her moan again. Josh could smell her arousal mixed with the smell of the earth beneath them as he fucked her. The wet warmth of her pussy mixed with the rhythmic slapping of his body against her ass, drove him closer and closer to orgasm. "Oh. Milkweed. I'm gonna come. I'm gonna come inside of you. Oh my god... Ung...Ung..." His body got stiff, and he cried out louder than he intended. He held her ass tightly to him as his cock twitched hard and he emptied his creamy white cum into the condom. His body finally relaxed, and he started to pull out of her, gasping for air. "Grab the condom," she said. "I don't want that thing getting lost inside me." He pulled it off and tossed it to the dirt. He helped Jaime stand up straight, pulled her close, and panted into her loose hair. "Oh my god, Milkweed. That was incredible. I've never felt so good," he said between breaths. She tipped her face up to kiss him while she caressed his arms. "Let's sit on the blanket," she said. "My legs are shaking." The floor of the greenhouse was hard and dirty, but Josh held Jaime for a long time, enjoying the afterglow. He nuzzled her soft hair with his face and put tiny kisses on her forehead and cheek. He was afraid to break the peace of the post-coital bliss, but when his leg started to cramp, he shifted his weight and said, "Jaime?" "Mm-hmm?" "I just wanted to tell you. This is a little bit embarrassing, but... I mean, this was my first time too. I mean, I've fooled around with girls before, but this is the first time I've...You know." Jaime sat up and looked at him, her eyebrows furrowed deeply. Suddenly, she threw her head back, and laughed. "First time?" she said, grabbing her panties and sliding them over her feet. "This wasn't my first time!" "What?" Josh's face contorted into a look of confusion. "What are you so upset about?" she asked. "You thought you were getting a virgin, and now you're all mad?" She put her dress over her head while she spoke. "No. It's not that. It's just that your father and brother spent the entire summer telling me that you needed to stay a virgin until you were married! They fired me for holding your hand. I'm just surprised, is all." He remained on the hard floor, naked, his wilted cock hanging limp between his legs. His face was white as a ghost when he finally looked up into Jaime's face. Jaime giggled. "No. They fired you for giving my brother a black eye. They think they've been a lot more successful than they were. My brother caught me making out with a kid from school last summer. My whole family freaked out because my mother was only nineteen when she had Scott. They wanted to make sure I went to college before I got knocked up." She made air-quotes with her fingers when she said "knocked up." Josh shook his head, stunned by Jaime's announcement. "The funny thing is," Jaime said, "that I didn't even let that guy Jake put his hand up my shirt last summer, and I didn't lose my virginity until my birthday party this summer. After I cut the cake, I was looking for you. I didn't find you though. Carlos found me wandering around, so we went to the Fairy Garden, and...You know." "You had sex with Carlos?" Josh said, the pitch and volume of his voice rising and the flush creeping into his cheeks. "And Alex and Ethan. At different times, of course. I'm not some kind of crazy gang-bang slut," she said. "I was gonna fuck you the night I fell in the fish pond, but you didn't have a freaking condom." "But..." Josh tried to argue, but anger and confusion kept him from forming coherent thoughts. She slipped her fire-engine red, patent-leather flip flops onto her feet and bent to kiss him on the nose. "Well, what do you know, Josh Gossamer?" she said, shaking her head and picking a piece of milkweed silk out of Josh's hair. A huge grin spread across her face. "Milkweed just deflowered her first virgin." This is my Earth Day contribution. Vote, if you like. (I am not eligible to win this one though.)